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Organizers: No Grand Prix in Detroit in 2011

July 25, 2010

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Auto racing on Belle Isle likely won't be back until at least 2012, organizers of the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix said.

“[There are] no plans at the current time for the Grand Prix to return in 2011,” said Bud Denker, senior vice president at Penske Corp. and the race's event chairman, in an e-mail to Crain's Detroit Business. “Hopefully the economy will improve enough for us to bring it back to Detroit, perhaps in 2012. We will see.”

The 2009 and 2010 races were cancelled because of the economy. When it was announced a year ago that the 2010 race wouldn't be held, organizers said they would try to stage the Labor Day weekend motorsports races for 2011.

The event, featuring the American Le Mans Series and the IndyCar Series, returned in 2007 after a six-year hiatus. It was resurrected by Roger Penske, who heads the Downtown Detroit Partnership, which oversees the three days of racing.

More than $7 million was spent on fixes and upgrades to the island in preparation for the races, including roadways, lighting, landscaping and the renovation of the historic Belle Isle Casino and Scott Fountain.

Organizers have declined to say how many people attended the 2007 and 2008 races, other than to indicate it was more than 100,000 people over the three-day weekend.

Penske is the billionaire owner of Bloomfield Hills-based Penske Corp., which includes his truck-rental company and other services. He led Detroit's efforts to prepare for Super Bowl XL four years ago.

The Grand Prix generated nearly $53 million in economic impact for metro Detroit in 2007 and more than $55.2 million in 2008, according to estimates from the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The race's official Web site, www.detroitgp.com, is no longer functional.